About the Sanctuary of the Four Chaplains in Saint Stephen’s Church:
In the early morning hours of February 3, 1943, the United States Army Transport ship, Dorchester, was torpedoed in the waters of the North Atlantic by a German submarine. As the ship began to sink beneath the icy surface, four men moved about the troops offering comfort and encouragement. The men were the chaplains on the ship: a Rabbi, Alexander Goode; two Protestant ministers, Reverend George Fox and Reverend Clark Poling; and a Catholic priest, Father John P. Washington.
As the supply of life jackets began to run out, the chaplains each took off their life jackets and gave them to four troops.
Eyewitness accounts give the description of the last anyone saw of the Four Chaplains: standing against the ship’s railing, arms linked and praying.
It certainly calls to mind John 15:13 “Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends”.
Saint Stephen’s was the last assignment of Father Washington before he became a chaplain in the U.S. Army, and that is the reason you will find the Sanctuary of the Four Chaplains here.
A 3-cent black stamp was issued on May 28, 1948, to honor four chaplains who sacrificed their lives in the sinking of the S. S. Dorchester.
Three cents was first class postage back then.
To honor them all, St. Stephen’s Church commissioned internationally renowned sculptor Timothy Schmalz, best known for his work in the Vatican, to create a statue depicting their heroism.
The church also holds an annual Mass on Four Chaplains Day, February 3, that is often attended by the chaplains’ families and other special guests, including Archbishop of Military Services.
Photo courtesy Saint Stephen’s Church
Traveling to Saint Stephen’s Church in Kearny, New Jersey:
Address: 141 Washington Avenue, Kearny, New Jersey 07032
Tel: +1 (201) 998-3314
Click here for the official website of Saint Stephen’s Church in Kearny, New Jersey.
